Flexible connection for looms



927 w. B. HARRIS FLEXIBLE CONNECTION FOR LOOMS Filed Nov.. 50, 1923 EW/m o-ngy.

Patented Jan. 11, 192?.

WARREN B. HARRIS, OF IVIILLBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLEXIBLE CONNECTION FGR LOOMS.

Application filed November 30, 1923. Serial No. 67?,770.

My invention relates to flexible connections of the type that are usually employed for transmitting the movement of the jacks of a dobby mechanism to the harness frames of a loom.

Such flexible connections are usually pro vided at their ends with suitable eyelets, whereby the connections can be readily sccured to the jacks and harness frames, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved means and method for permanently securing the eyelets to the connec tions so that the tensile strains to which the connections are subjected will not tear the eyelets'loose. The above and other advantageous features of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a view of a portion of a loom, showing my improved connections applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the connections shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the manner of producing my improved connection.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modification of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view along the line 55 of Fig. 4, showing the forming dies.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1, only such portions of a loom are shown therein as are necessary to illustrate the use of my improved connections. One or more pivotally mounted jacks are indicated at 1, which are adapted to be secured to the harness frames 2 by means of flexible connections 3 pass ing over pulleys 4. The connections 3 are all provided at their ends with eyelets 5, by means of which they may be suitably connected to the jacks 1 and frames 2, and as previously pointed out, my invention contemplates an improved means for securing the eyelets 5 to the connections 3.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the body of each connection 3 is illustrated as being formed of braidedinaterial, in which the strands 6 are closely interwoven, so that the connection itself is very strong and durable. Before securing the eyelets 5 to the body of the connection 3, sleeves 7 are placed over the ends of the connection, each sleeve 7 being provided at its end with an opening 8 large enough to receive the shank of an eyelet 5.

he clearly shown in section in Fig. 2, the shank 9 of each eyelet is provided with threads or corrugations 10, so arranged that the shank 9 can be readily screwed into the braided strands 6 of the connection after being inserted through the opening 8 in a sleeve 7. V7 hen an eyelet 5 is screwed into the end of a connection 3, it expands the material enclosed within the sleeve 7 and so tends to hold itself in position. It is obvious however, that a strong pulling force applied to an eyelet would tend to tear the shank 9 loose from the strands 6.

The present invention contemplates means whereby the pulling out of an eyelet 5 is effectively prevented, and to this end a groove 11 and a crimp 12 are provided in each sleeve 7 near its end.

A suitable means for grooving and crimping a sleeve 7 is clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and consists of coacting dies 13, 13, each provided with a concave face 14 having a radius of curvature somewhat less than the radius of curvature of the sleeve 7. The working face 14 of each die 13 subtends an arc of somewhat less than 180, so that when the dies 13 come together on the sleeve 7, a space 15 is always left between opposed corners 16 of the dies.

It will be apparent from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4, that when the dies cometogether on a sleeve 7, the concave faces 14 will form opposed grooves 11 on opposite sides of the sleeve, while the sharp corners 16 will form crimps 12 at diametrically opposed points on the sleeve. WVhen the grooves 11 and crimps 12 are formed as just described the compressed strands 6 within the sleeve 7 will be firmly held in position by the deformation of the material of which the sleeve 7 is composed, so that it will be practically impossible to remove a sleeve 7 from a connection. Obviously, the formation of the grooves 11 compresses the strands 6 against the shank 9 of the eyelet 5, so that it will be practically impossible to pull the eyelet 5 out of the end of the connection.

A modification of the manner of attaching the sleeve 7 is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which a sleeve 17 is shown as being provided with a depression 18 extending longitudinally thereof. This depression 18 may be formed in any suitable manner, and in Fig. 5 there is shown a pair of dies 19 for accomplishing this purpose. Each die 19 is provided With a concave face 20 having substantially the same radius of curvature as the sleeve 17. A convex projection 21 extends longitudinally of each face 20, so that when the dies 19 are brought together on the sleeve 17, the projections 21 press in the material of the sleeve 17 and form the depressions 18 at diametrically opposite points thereon. Obviously, the formation of the depressions 18 Will tend to compress the strands of the connection against the shank 9 of the eyelet 5, and so effectively prevent the pulling out of the eyelet 5.

From the foregoing it is apparent that by my invention I have provided an improved form of flexibleconnection for looms in which the eyelets are permanently connected by my improved manner of deforming the material of Which the end sleeves of the connection are formed.

I claim:

1. An improved flexible connection for looms, comprising a length of stranded material, an eyelet having a corrugated shank portion embedded in the strands at one end of said length, and a sleeve enclosing the stranded material surrounding the shank, said sleeve providing a pair of discontinuousgrooves on opposite sides thereof, With crimps at diametrically opposite points, whereby the stranded material is tightly held between the sleeve and the corrugated shank.

2. in improved flexible connection for looms, comprising a length of stranded material, an eyelet having a corrugated shank portion embedded in the strands at one end of said length, and a sleeve enclosing the stranded material surrounding the shank, the inside of said sleeve presenting a cylindrical surface having discontinuous convex ridge portions adapted to coact with the corrugations on said shank to firmly hold the stranded material therebetWeen and prevent Withdrawal of the shank.

lVARREN B. HARRIS. 

